Blood vessels form an integral component o all organs and tissues. Studies in vascular biology are therefore of fundamental importance in all areas of biology and medicine as emphasized by the success of a growing number of relatively small and highly specialized meetings devoted to this subject in recent years. Although these meetings have been enormously productive, none of them alone adequately serves the diverse needs of the entire vascular biology community. A mechanism is required (1) to promote interactions in one common meeting among the diverse fields of vascular biology and medicine, and (2) to create a forum to coordinate the various efforts. Recognizing this, a small ad hoc steering committee was formed at last year's FASEB meeting in Atlanta to develop a North American Federation for Vascular Biology, a council which will have representation from all existing societies dedicated to studying problems in vascular biology and medicine. As one of its first functions, the Federation will sponsor the VIIth International Symposium on the Biology of Vascular Cells, to be held in San Diego, CA. November 10-14, 1992. The purpose of the meeting is to develop an accurate and current understanding of the diverse roles of vascular cells in biology and disease. The program will focus on basic and clinical aspects of cells of the vascular system. The metabolic activities of circulating cells and cells of the vessel wall, and their interactions with proteins of the blood and extracellular matrix, will be addressed through invited plenary lectures and symposia, as well as through oral communications and poster presentations selected from submitted abstracts. Other tentative topics include vascular tone, regulation of cell growth, gene expression and phenotypic modulation, cell-cell interactions, vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, extracellular matrix and receptors, signal transduction, pharmacology, thrombosis and thrombolysis, atherosclerosis, development, pathogenesis, and novel therapies. Ample time will be provided each day for informal discussions. Funding ($25,000) is requested in this application to partially pay for the travel expenses of Chairpersons, Invited Speakers, and the authors of the 4 highest rated abstracts. We anticipate that this meeting will not only provide the ideal forum for the presentation and active discussion of the current information in the vascular biology area, but that it will also identify new areas, directions, and problems for future investigations. We expect to have approximately 1000 registrants for the meeting including students, scientists, clinicians and representatives of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.